1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to musical drum instruments, and more particularly concerns a device for external adjustable attachment to a drum head that enhances the quality of the sound produced by the drum.
2. Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR .sctn. 1.97-1.99
Musical drums generally have a circular cylindrical side wall shell supporting an upper or attack head and an opposed parallel lower or resonating head. The heads each consist of an outer rim associated with the shell and a drum head membrane tautly stretched upon the rim. A plurality of tensioning devices are disposed upon the exterior surface of the shell to provide appropriate tension to the membranes. The attack membrane usually has a preferred attack area centered therein.
Drum heads, particularly those of the more recent plastic and other synthetic types, often exhibit a total phenonemon known as "drum head ring", or more simply, ringing, which is characterized by distorted upper harmonic tonal over-rings that vary in pitch as successive impacts are applied to the attack drum head, and when electric sound amplification systems are used to increase the volume of the drum, drum head ring becomes significantly more noticeable.
Drum head ring presented a minor problem when drum membranes were made principally of natural products, such as cat skin or other "gut" type materials. The natural product drum membranes exhibited only low levels of drum head ring, often not noticeable to the average listener. However, with the increased popularity of synthetic drum membranes, ringing has presented a more severe problem. The synthetic membranes produce a more distortable ring of louder volume than do natural product membranes; thus, even a musically untrained listener may notice the distorted tone quality of the synthetic membrane. When electronic amplification is used to increase the volume of the drum sound, ringing becomes even more noticeable. As a result of some very significant advantages of synthetic membranes over natural product membranes, which make the use of synthetic membranes popular, it is highly desirable to minimize, suppress and muffle unwanted overtones and vibrations without detracting from the sound of the primary fundamental desirable tones. This is particularly true in the advent of digital recording and playback and its corresponding increasingly high quality demands placed upon musical recordings and performances.
In the past, articles such as ordinary blankets, pillows, and other available objects having the ability to absorb sound have been inserted internal to the drum shell and against the drum membrane. Such usage of rugs or pillows, or the like, is unsightly especially when transparent drum membranes are used and traveling bands are inconvenienced by the need to carry the large bulky items. To some extent, pillows, rugs, or the like placed internal of the drum shell also retard the desired drum sound and projection, in addition to retarding ringing. Thus, the desired tone and volume of the drum may be adversely affected. Still further, use of pillows or rugs and the like internal of a drum may be impractical for a marching drummer. Also, the use of rugs or pillows, or the like, may adversely affect the "feel" of the drum thereby detracting from the performance of the drummer or may fail to provide a uniform and/or consistent tension against the drum membrane.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,499,616, 2,572,504, 3,951,032, and 5,107,741 are exemplary of different configurations and forms of drum mutes internal to a drum membrane surface for the purpose of reducing drum head ring which are internal to a drum head or membrane. Although such configurations and forms of drum mutes are directed to the reduction of drum head ring, their internal nature may be undesirable in several respects in that internal placement may establish the drum mute in a set non-adjustable position, access to the drum mute may be blocked by its internal nature, and drums without an internal drum muting configuration may not conveniently be retrofitted to include such an internal drum mute feature. Additionally, when a muffling device bears against the drum head or membrane, the pitch of the sound emanating from the drum is often changed depending not only upon the amount of pressure with which the muffling device bears against the drum head or membrane, but also by the number and/or location of the muffling device. Still further, internal muffling devices may be composed of several mechanically connected metal parts, which tend to rattle and loosen, adding extraneous noise.
In the past, attempts have been made to mute or muffle a drum by the drummer laying something on the drum head. Often, such an expedient is directed to solving the problem of drum head ring, yet the solution is not consistent, may be unattractive in a concert setting, and since the drum head necessarily vibrates during a performance, something simply lying on the drum head will move around on the drum head and may interfere with the play of the drum. Thus, attempts have been made to provide an external drum mute to a drum head or membrane such as the differing configuration and forms of drum mutes disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,565,225, 4,567,807, 4,899,635, and 5,404,784.